Israel announced on Wednesday a temporary new route for residents to flee Gaza City, as it launched an intense ground offensive after massive bombardment of the Palestinian territory's main city. The Israeli military announces the opening of a temporary transportation route via Salah al-Din street, spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Adraee added that the route will be open for 48 hours only.
Hundreds of Palestinians have fled Gaza City, piling their few remaining possessions onto pick-up trucks and donkey carts as Israel's deadly bombings and forced displacement campaign intensifies in the area. People fleeing the Israeli military's relentless bombardment have begun setting up makeshift tents amid miserable conditions in an area west of central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, to the south of Gaza City near Deir el-Balah.
Tuesday morning saw protesters and activists take to the streets in parts of Israel with calls for the immediate release of remaining hostages and end the fighting in Gaza. A main highway near Tel Aviv was blocked and protesters set fire to tyres on a route north of the city according to news agencies. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for a day of action under the slogan "Israel stands together." Israeli media also reported rallies near a US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers across the country.
